Description:
The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), formerly known as the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle or AAAV, is being designed to replace current AAV7 vehicles within the USMC. It will enable US Marines to successfully and quickly perform shore assault from ships located beyond the line of sight. In addition, the EFV vehicle will provide armor protected, land mobility, and direct fire support during land combat operations.
The advanced EFV vehicle will be capable of transporting up to 18 US Marines and a crew of three over water at a speed of 29 miles per hour (47 km/h) propelled by two water jets. On land, it will be able to reach speeds of 45 mph (73 km/h) with cross country mobility greater than that of the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank.
Automatic transfer of power from water-jets to tracks will mean an unprecedented and smooth transition from water to cross-country movement. The vehicle has been designed to be released from an amphibious ship ranging 20 to 25 nautical (37 to 46 kilometers) miles away from the shore. A command and control vehicle will be also developed from the baseline EFV vehicle.
The USMC plans to purchase up to 1,000 EFVs beginning in this decade to replace current AAV7 assault vehicles. The new vehicle will make possible land assault from the sea in the dangerous littoral environments, while providing safely release ranges for amphibious assault ships.
General Dynamics won the competition in June 1996 to develop and build the US Marine Corps' new EFV. The System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase valued at $712 million started in 2001. In November 2004, General Dynamics was awarded a $176 million modification contract to continue work on the EFV SDD phase. Production is planned to begin in 2007 at General Dynamics' Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio, and continuing into 2020.
EFVP1 (EFV Personnel) is one of two separate EFV designs being built. Aimed at transporting a crew of 21 Marines from ship to shore, the EFVP1 is able to haul more than 5,000 pounds of cargo. It features a Mk 44 30mm cannon, one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and an advanced armor capable of bouncing a rocket propelled grenade off its side.
Specifications Accommodation: Crew 3, Troops 18
Guns: Main Gun Caliber 30 mm
Number of Weapons: 600
Weights: Max Weight 34,475 kg (76,003 lb), Min Weight 29,030 kg (63,999 lb), Payload 2,324 kg (5,123 lb)
Performance: Max Range 643 km (347 nm), Min Range 120 km (65 nm), Top Speed 20 mps (39 kt)
Power: Power 2,740 shp
Operators
United States of America
Image Gallery
Notes (*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)
United States of America